Hit Points Nil
DV1 / DV2 Nil
Attack Value Nil
# Attacks Nil
Weapon Type Nil
Damage Special
Saving Throws 15+
Speed Walk (1)
Cadaver bugs are communal insects that live together in colonies. When viewed up close, they resemble gray ants, though they have longer, thinner bodies. These insects are not aggressive toward living things but thrive on devouring carrion and decaying matter. They can detect such things from a distance of 200 feet.
When these bugs come in contact with a recently dead creature, they infest the body and devour the corpse’s interior. For the first 48 hours, their feeding goes unnoticed. After two days, however, the corpse shows signs of infestation, and after three days, nothing remains of the corpse.
These insects are protective of the corpses they infest. When small animals such as rats attempt to feed on the remains, the cadaver bugs secrete a foul stench. This odor causes creatures within melee range and 10 hit points or less to suffer 1d3 actual damage. Creatures with more than 10 hit points must make a saving throw vs. poison or suffer 1 actual damage for each turn of exposure.
The odor remains until the threat is gone. The insects only release the stench when something disturbs their corpse. The bugs ignore creatures standing nearby but not touching the corpse.
There is no method available to kill a colony of cadaver bugs. The only way to remove the insects (or stop them from attacking a corpse) is to sprinkle the corpse with a mixture of water, garlic, and brye leaf. The concoction has a 95% chance of protecting the corpse or removing the insects. Once removed, the insects crawl away and hunt another corpse.
These insects make their lairs in rotten wood, broken stone, and damp mud. They live in forests, swamps, and dungeons and feast upon any animal and humanoid remains.